Characters in "The Use of Force," by William Carlos Williams

“The Use of Force,”   by William Carlos Williams

  Williams’ use of description is well done in this short story.   For such a short story I felt as if I came to know each of the characters.  The doctor is the power figure who exerts his power by giving orders.   He gives orders to the father, “Put her in front of you on your lap, I ordered, and hold both her wrists.”  He gives orders to the mother, “Get me a smooth-handled spoon of some sort, I told the mother.”  He eventually has to exert his power with the child, “In a final unreasoning assault I overpowered the child’s neck and jaws.  I forced the heavy silver spoon back of her teeth and down her throat till she gagged.” 

The parents of Mathilda who seem to be fearful of being judged by the doctor and who at the same time are distrustful of him, “I could see that they were all very nervous, eyeing me up and down distrustfully.” It seems that they are feeling that the doctor may think that they have been neglectful concerning the child’s health so the father asserts, “My wife has given her things, you know, like people do, but it don’t do no good.”  The nervousness of the parents can be felt in the way that Williams describes their interactions with the doctor.

There is Mathilda, the sick and frightened child who insists on hiding the fact that she has a sore throat from her parents and from the doctor.  She puts up a fight to protect her secret.  But in the end her secret is revealed, “And there it was—both tonsils covered with membrane.  She had fought valiantly to keep me from knowing her secret.”  For a little girl Mathilda put a lot of thought into hiding and keeping a secret from the adults involved. 

I enjoyed reading the story and being in anticipation of the ending.  It was not obvious that the doctor would be able to get Mathilda cooperate or not.  The use of force was necessary to save the life of the child.  A great story with a happy ending.